


Traversing Through the Mist

by PercivalFox



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Aged Up, Awkwardness, F/M, Fluff, Spoilers, Swearing, wildlands - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21813736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PercivalFox/pseuds/PercivalFox
Summary: After being in charge of protecting Galar from dynamax pokemon for so long, Gloria asks for her friends help. Adventures across the wild lands ensue.
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 3
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place after Snowstorms in Bellonlea. You don’t need to read it to get any references here, basically Bede knows he has a crush and he’s awkward about it.

Bede had little focus on the world around him as he packed his bag. If he was told that the great fairy user agreed to this idea a few days ago, he would have scoffed and called the topic insanity. But yet here he was, getting ready to head out into the wilderness with a number of people who were confirmed sources of his headaches. 

Earlier in the week, Bede was surprised by a nerve wracking visit from the one person who could shatter his metaphorical armor in seconds.

While taking a break from facing challengers, his ego relatively high due to winning every battle, he was met face to face with the sparkling eyes that cause his heart to leap. 

—

“...I’m sorry, what???” The gym leader looked at the champion with the most bewilderment he had felt in a while. 

“Oh don’t act so horrified, it’s not that bad.” Gloria replied with a hint of playful sarcasm echoing in her tone. She looked relaxed and confident, though there weren’t many times Bede had seen her lacking in either department. “Having to look over the wildlands is difficult to say the least. It’s just been dynamax den after dynamax den- it’s exhausting!” The champion had a faint look of irritation, which quickly changed to worry as her eyes focus on the pokeballs sitting next to her bag. “I know my team is strong and I know that calming dynamaxed pokemon comes with the champion title, but I think it’s really wearing down my team..I’m starting to worry that I put too much stress on them…” 

The idea of Gloria having any issue with battles felt like a skit at a bad comedy club to Bede. The girl had managed to grasp the title of champion in minimal time, mere weeks after she started her so called journey. Considering how it’s been years since then, he could only imagine how much stronger she is now.

“I was talking to Hop about it and he offered that all of us could get together and help.”

So Hop was the person he had to get back for this. Noted.

The gym leader kept himself from turning heel and avoiding the conversation altogether, he knew that even if he avoided an answer now, Gloria would just pester him until he made up his mind. He also didn’t entirely mind the idea of wandering around the wildlands with the champion for a bit, there hadn’t been much going on in his world for a while now, aside from a few challengers here and there. Even with the overall fondness of the idea still lingering in his thoughts, his nervousness was first to answer. 

“That sounds all well and good, but I don’t think I can just up and walk away from Bellonlea any time I’d like to. Not all of us have that privilege you know.” 

He hadn’t meant to sound so condescending, old habits really do die hard. At the sight of the girl being taken aback, the fairy user rethinks his choice of words in a slight panic.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad idea! Just…” he trailed off, a blush creeping onto his face as he gave a frustrated sigh. “Just let me think about it, alright? It shouldn’t take too long.”

Bede was comforted to see that his offer was returned with a warm smile. His heart hammered at the sight, realizing he was letting his emotions take over way more than intended. He found himself stuttering a quick excuse to the girl before leaving the awkward situation, wanting nothing more than to go home, and hopefully avoid any people along the way.

But of course, Bede knew his luck would not have it that way. 

When walking back to the main lobby, he noticed Opal speaking to one of the challengers near the entrance of the hallway. When the former gym leader noticed him, she ended her conversation with the trainer, who was running back into the field. Bede immediately recognized the sideways glance he was being given, alongside a mischievous chuckle. His entire face went red.

“Alright, how much did you hear?” The fairy user didn’t have time for antics today, much less dancing around an absolutely painful subject. Opal simply smiled when turning to her adoptive family. 

“Enough to know your going to be on vacation a bit it seems.” Bede opened his mouth to retort and explain why not only is it a bad idea, but borderline impossible. The older woman continued before he could speak. “I’m more than happy to take care of the gym challengers for a while. There is still so much for you to experience in your life child.” He felt a soft touch on his shoulder. “So why spend it cooped up in a building all day?” 

And before he knew it, the young leader was packing a bag to join the champion on whatever excursion he knew would be his mental demise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The awkwardness ensues and they can’t hold a conversation.

Bede hadn’t realized how long he had been staying in Bellonlea until now.

The duo had managed to flag down a flying taxi back in the forest town. Packing themselves into the small metal box and giving the location of Motorstoke to the corviknight’s trainer. The pilot gave an apology, stating that due to forewarned weather, the closest he could bring the two would be Hammerlocke.

The gate leading from the city of Hammerlocke to the expansive landscape of the wild area acted as a threshold, as once he stepped past it, the realization hit Bede like a stone. He hadn’t seen the vast field of varying terrains for many years. The mere sight of it brought a wave of kind nostalgia that slowly oozed into a sickening dread. His memory flashed quick images of the time when he was still a challenger, stomach churning at the memory that had been left for longer than he cared to recall. 

“Bede?”

The fairy user turned, torn from his destructive train of thought by what he considers one of the most comforting sounds he knows. Gloria’s voice perked up as she saw him startle out of his daydream. “What are you waiting for? We’ve got to make it to the station before nightfall.” 

As he focused back to reality the gym leader gave a small shrug “I’m sure it isn’t that imperative, your friend should be competent enough to at least make it halfway and meet us.” He wasn’t the biggest fan of Hop, but he didn’t see a need to avoid the young professor from traveling through the wildlands, he had done it previously, after all. At the mention of allies, he realized another issue with their so called party.

“Is Marnie going to be at the station with him as well?” Gloria perked a bit at the inquiry, taking out her Rotom phone on the spot. “Oh! Right, thanks for reminding me.” She took a few seconds looking for the right contact. “I texted her on the way to Hammerlocke-“ Gloria became quiet for a moment as her eyes focused, only to have a pout resting on her face. An aggravated sigh could be heard from his companion.

“I guess Marnie isn’t going to make it out, something about having too many challengers at Spikemuth, and Piers isn’t around either.” Gloria put away her rotom phone, eyes unfocused while in thought. “Damn, I thought everything was planned out. Suppose it can’t be helped.” 

Bede felt his eye twitch, mild irritation rising for a moment. ‘If I had to be dragged into this misadventure why can the others avoid it so easily?’ The thought formed in his mind and stayed as an attempt to avoid remembering he genuinely wanted to be here. His emotions quieted when seeing the woman he was traveling with. Gloria eyed the ground, looking a bit disappointed. Once more Bede found himself speaking before thinking. 

“There’s no reason to be so glum, you know that Marnie would gladly join if she could. Either way, we can still help with the dynamaxed pokemon even if we’re one person short.” Bede hadn’t known at what point he’d developed this instinct. Originally when the girl was upset he would stay silent, or even worse, managed to add salt to the wound. Now, years down the road, he’s learned that at the very least he should attempt to return a smile to her face, even if it wasn’t one of his strong suits.

Gloria looked up and met his gaze. He immediately noticed the ever so slight dusting of pink on her cheeks, lips curling into a smile. “Your right! We can still clear out the dens, easy as ever.” She had a big smile that made Bedes heart stutter for a moment. Before he could address it, he turned his attention back to the landscape before them. 

“Nonetheless, did you have a plan for getting to the station before night sets in?” The inquiry seemed to bring further realization to the champion as she gave off a nervous laugh.

“I didn’t actually think about that…” her voice trailed off as she fidgeted with the straps of her bag. “I didn’t bring my bike, since I thought going from motorstoke to the station wouldn’t be that far.”

Bede rolled his eyes. It seemed careless to assume everything would go according to plan, but he bit his tongue for now. 

“But it’s okay! It’s not as distant as it look, believe me.” The girl reverted to her charismatic smile within a moment.

“So...you want us to just walk there?” Bede didn’t mind the idea of taking their time, however he knew they were working on a schedule.

“Yeah! We’ll be there in no time.” The champion had a motivated glint in her eye as she took her companion by the hand. The fairy user could feel his body’s temperature skyrocket as she tugged for him to follow.

“....If you say so.”

——

The duo had made their way past the giants mirror and were towards the outskirts of the dusty bowl. They hadn’t experienced too many issues along the way, aside from the occasional pokemon attempting to drive them off from their territory. But that was to be expected of the wildland’s inhabitants. The weather had given way to dreary clouds, masking any sunlight from warming the terrain around them.

Most of their journey so far had been quiet, aside from Bede having to live with a consistently loud heartbeat. As much as he knew he enjoyed the situation he was thrown into, the gym leader had yet to adjust to Gloria’s presence in general. Since the day they had fought in the championship, gym leader versus challenger, he wasn’t sure how to approach her. As a rival? Or perhaps more of a friend? His purple irises focused on the ground as he was deep in thought, questioning even the most basic gestures and emotions.

“Oh my….”

Gloria’s voice knocked him out of his hazy stupor. He made a quick mental note to stop zoning out so much. As his mind returned to reality, he realized that the ground he was focusing on was now shrouded and unclear. The gym leader lifted his head and was greeted with swirling mists of fog. His field of view couldn’t locate anything in front of them. For all he knew they could be in a field or on top of a mountain and anywhere in between. He turned to face Gloria, noticing that she was barely visible, even for being maybe a foot away from him.

“I've seen fog here before, but it’s never been this bad.” As the girl spoke, she held a hand out at arms length, attempting to gauge how far they could see past the dense haze.

It was at this point Bede realized he hadn’t been paying attention to what direction they were walking in. He turned to the trainer, slight worry forming in his expression. “Gloria.” The small puffball on her hat bounced as her attention snapped back to him. “Did you see what direction we were heading?” A few seconds of silence stretched on. Bede took that as an answer with a frustrated sigh. “Of fucking corse” he mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache forming. 

Gloria knew her response wouldn’t help the situation. She gave a sheepish grin as nervous laughter escaped her voice. “It’s ok, I’m sure we can find out which way to go..” her voice trailed off as she began rummaging through her bag, looking for any item that may aid them. ‘Maybe a compass?’ She had thought to herself in vain, considering she almost never carried one, which ended up being the case.

As she looked through the contents with focus, an idea sparked in Bede’s mind. Opening one of his coat pockets, he searched for a moment, hand gliding over the pokeball he aimed to retrieve. After a click was heard from the small orb, the beam of light originating from it’s center formed into his Rapidash.

The maned pokemon let out a confused huff, clearly perturbed from not being able to locate its surroundings. Bede held his hands up for a moment, gaining the beast’s attention. “Hey it’s alright! we’re right here.” Placing his hand on part of its mane caused the fairy Pokémon to relax from its momentary tizzy. Bede walked in front of the creature and began to gently pet it as he spoke. “We’re having some difficulty seeing where we’re heading, can you help us please?” Bede’s eyes flashed over to Gloria, confirming she was still in her own world while searching. He wasn’t too keen on his rivals knowing how much of a soft spot he had for pokemon, namely the out of character kindness he would used to speak with his team. 

The unicorn pokemon smiled and gave a whinny, leaning toward it’s trainer affectionately. The gym leader took a step back for a moment as the creature whinnied once more, stomping its hooves to create the glowing energy its kind is known for. 

Before Gloria can question the noise, she’s startled from immediate light blinding her senses. As her eyes adjust, before she can voice her confusion, she realizes that the area around them is now visible. They seemed to be in a field, a small stream nearby along with chaotically placed patches of grass that acted as a home for many wild pokemon. She turned to see Bede speaking to his partner, a bright iridescent glow forming from its mane and horn. 

She approached the two and smiled, seeing Bede comfort the creature. “Thank you rapidash!” At the moment she voiced her gratitude, Bede felt himself seize for a moment, blush slowly creeping up his features. He hadn’t realized she was so close. Not allowing her a chance to notice, he turned and began to head onward. Only for a moment later to hear a grunt from his pokemon, realizing it had yet to move. 

“Huh, is something wrong?” He spoke calmly to his partner pokemon, concern barely masking itself in his voice. The creature nudged him and motioned with its head. Gloria hadn’t understood what the creature was trying to say, she hadn’t been around his team outside of battle enough to understand their nuisances. Bede however, looked confused for a moment. His pokemon was asking that they stay near. He’s had Rapidash long enough to know it can be very protective, especially if it senses something malicious nearby. The gym leader didn’t want to think about what could cause a member of his team to think him and the champion would be in danger. 

Most times when his Rapidash reacted this way while training, he would simply ride it back to Ballonlea. This memory made him realize the implications, as he turned to face the creature. 

“Don’t be silly, your helping us already, more than enough at that.” Before Gloria could question what he had meant, the horse pokemon settled on the ground and huffed at it’s trainer, who let out an exasperated sigh. He didn’t even know how to word it aloud to Gloria. So rather, he nodded to the creature. “Fine. We won’t make it anywhere if we don’t move- but we can still take care of ourselves you know.” 

The creature whinnied in response, standing up once more. Bede walked over and settled himself on the back of his Rapidash. The champion was a bit taken aback. She was still confused from the situation, but understood what was being asked of her. She nervously eyed Bede as she walked over, voice wavering slightly. “Uhm.. are you sure you’re-“ 

“Yeah. Shut up. Let’s go.”  
The trainer was taken aback for a second from the somewhat hostile phrasing, but she decided it was probably just him irritated they had a halt in their journey. She brushed it off and got on the back of the unicorn creature. 

Unknown to Gloria, Bede’s rushed response was due to the fact he was pure red, as he felt her arms settle around his stomach, almost like a bear hug. He quietly thanked that she couldn’t see his face as he knew how bad his blush was, if burning gave any indication. 

The Rapidash waited until Gloria was settled, and began a full speed gallop through the mist.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going with the idea of the wild area being much bigger than what it is. Also in the words of the most beautiful discord server, it’s bully Bede hours

The swirling canvas of mist lay unmoving along the landscape. As a stretch of the wild area kept still, blanketed by the mist, the only disturbance within the fog moved with the click of hooves and a subtle glow from it’s mane. 

Upon the shimmering beast’s back were the two trainers attempting to make their way past the blinding swirls of air. One a gym leader with the coloration of fairy dust gracing the entirety of his face, and the other being the regional champion, holding the former close in attempts to not fall off of the galloping pokemon.

In the still terrain and rhythmic movement of his equine pokemon, Bede found his train of thought drifting into his own hazy dream land. His body stayed tense, as the areas Gloria held onto almost burned from the warm contact. The smallest voice from the back of his mind reminds him of times he would wistfully hope for a situation much like their current moment. The daydreams of moments he accepted were beyond impossible in the real realm. The fantasy scenarios that plagued his mind were normally overtaken by his focus for battle or training, not only as a goal but also a good distraction. 

“Uhm, Bede?” The chime of Gloria’s voice pulled him from his hyperfocus. He felt her shift as her gaze rested on the unfocused sky above. “I’m pretty sure it’s going to be night soon.” The gym leader’s eyes lifted towards the clouds, a bleak continuous gray stretched before them with no sign of change. 

Bede’s habitual smirk tugged at his mouth as he turned to address the champion. “Oh? I wasn’t aware you had X-ray vision. That really would have helped about an hour ago.” The sarcasm dripping from his voice. He dropped his smile as the remark earned him a soft jab to his side.

“You know what I meant.” Gloria’s expression was calm with a touch of playfulness. A soft smile forming after the gym leader seized up from her jabbing his side. “It was already noon by the time we got to Hammerlocke, and it’s been a few hours.” 

She had a point. The perimeter around the glow of Rapidash’s horn was that of long grass and the sound of nearby waves from a river. “So what do you suggest?” Bede kept his gaze ahead, trying to squint past the haze and cloud.

“Maybe it would be best if we hunker down for the night.” A flash of worry swept across her features. “I can always give Hop a call and tell him to hold on before he leaves, it’s going to be hell trying to find the train station when we can’t see 10 feet in front of us either way.” 

The gym leader knew she had a point, there was no reason to continue on if they had no idea where they even were now. His only glean on the surroundings were a nearby cliff side, barely silhouetted from Rapidash’s glow.

“Fine, I don’t suppose the grand champion knows much on staying in anything tougher than a cushy hotel room.”

————

And how quickly did he eat his words.

Gloria had immediately begun preparations for a camp as soon as the duo reached the bottom of the cliff side. After Bede called back his Rapidash, it seemed like mere moments until Gloria already had set up her tent, and began to form a small perimeter of rocks for a fire. The fairy user did not bring much for their trip aside from a tent and a sleeping bag. His mind going back to the last time he had used these materials, only dredging up bitter memories of working under the chairman, on a constant search for items he never thought could have aided in possible world destruction. He shook his head, attempting to rid himself of destructive thoughts as if they were flying around him. He began putting together the poles to hold the tent up, with a varying degree of success.

After regaining focus on setting up camp once more, the silence between the two was broken by a distinct rumble from the sky above. Both paused in mid movement as their gaze raised upwards, not that the fog permitted much of an assessment. For a few moments, the small pitter-patter of a drizzle descended, and Bede felt a growing agitation in the moment. ‘It’s fine, a little bit of rain isn’t the worst thing that could happen.’ He told himself.

As if to see a tally of how often Bede could prove himself wrong, an arching flash of lightning lit up an expanse of fog, creating a second of light in the dark, only to unleash a torrent of rain as a downpour made its descent. Gloria let out a yelp in surprise as the cold rain made its way to ground level. Bede tried holding his jacket above his head in an attempt to not get soaked, realized his tent was yet to be set up. “Oh for fucks sake-“ Only to feel a hand grab his arm and pull him. “Come on!” Gloria yelled in a hurry as she and Bede tumbled into the tent she had set up, quickly zipping the entrance to it shut.

Bede’s breathing quickened as he tried to register what happened within the last few seconds, making his mind come to a racing halt. They had virtually nowhere else to go for shelter as the storm kicked in. And above all else, the champion who he couldn’t handle simply holding onto him while on horseback, was now in the closest proximity they had ever been. He felt a bloom of warmth reach for his cheeks as they turned to face each other, sitting up from their tumbled positions.

This is going to be a long night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
